Need help with G3rv11 to s8710 CM3 upgrade 8

[mikeydidit]

I know that most of you here have been through this already. We are finally looking into this within the near future. I know that the Tn750's are going and Val boards will replace them. (Not sure how many val boards it takes for each 750) and the data mod's are coming out and connecting there through the C-Lans. What other pitfalls should I be aware of that you have found?

This has me pretty nervous. Being a hospital I need to make sure we have as little downtime as possible and this cutover goes smoothly.

Thanks for your time and help.



Mikey

 

[phoneguy55]

I would attempt to change to VAL and replace you data modules before the upgrade. This way you have less to worry about the night of the upgrade. IMHO, it is easier to change things slowly rather than all at once...

 

[mikeydidit]

Thanks for your reply phoneguy55.

I am with you 100% on getting the preliminaries out of the way. I have looked at what it takes to change our announcements to the Val boards and I will start with moving our Call Accounting off the data modules this week. Unfortunately, I have 4 Expansion interface boards that won't meet the minimum vintages so I will have some late nights coming up, knocking down 4 of my EPN’s and adding the new boards.

Anything else that I haven't thought of that you could give me a heads up on would truly be appreciated.




Mikey

 

[lopes1211]

Keep in mind, TN750's do work, they just cannot be backed up. That is why they are "unsupported". We went to CM2 but use TN750C's and VAL.

-CL

 

[mikeydidit]

Thanks Lopes1211 for that. I may use that same configuration in my new server as well.



Mikey

 

[4merAvaya]

Avaya offers the IO LAN device to connect serial devices, like your CDR, without having to change the application. That same device will also let you keep your local SAT terminal.

A TN750 will hold about 4 minutes of announcement. A VAL board will hold up to 1 hour.

I believe that the TN570 EI boards only have to be replaced if you are doing an ESS configuration.

Kevin

 

[lopes1211]

What V's are the EI boards? We have 570B V6 and above with no issues.

-CL

 

[seezer]

We recently upgraded a G3r to a pair of S8710s (multi-connect). Aside from the caveats mentioned, have a copy of your station records, trunks, route patterns, ars table and whatever records you deem critical to the operation of your system. You'll have something to refer back to IF something goes awry when you migrate the G3r translations to the S8710s.

We used the MOST tool to migrate the translations from the G3r to the S8710. Changing the PPN to an EPN accounted for a large portion of actual downtime (a little more than an hour).

We did have a downtime window that allowed us to work at a careful yet measured pace. We also spent several hours reviewing the upgrade docs; planning and preparation are always key. Good luck.

Regards,

seezer

 

[mikeydidit]

Here is the list of my Expansion interface cards lopes1211. I am guessing that the 570b V2’s are the packs that need to be replaced?

02A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570B 000002
03A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570B 000002
04A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570B 000002
05A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570B 000002
06A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570D 000006
07A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570D 000005
08A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570D 000005
09A01 EXPANSION INTRFC TN570C 000002


As far as the backup copies of the systems software, I have been using Utilicall for a couple of years now. It is great for this kind of thing seezer, and you are right about the CYA things… What sort of downtime should I really expect? I haven’t heard of the "most tool" either seezer so I will ask about that too.

I wasn’t sure about how many Val boards that I would need as I only have 1 full 750 and another with just a couple of announcements on it Kevin. So you think I would just need 1 Val Board?


I appreciate everyone’s time on this.




Mikey

 

[Dunstan]

We just finished an upgrade similar to yours, Yes the 570b's will have to be replaced.

1 Val board can replace about 4 full integrated boards for talk time. You can safely say that you would onlyn need one to replace your existing board.

Your downtime should be about 1-2 hours as was said above the majority of the time the carrier changeout is the most time consuming item.

Utilicall is a great tool, even if your vendor makes a mistake with the most tool (I have seen bad pulls of data before using it) you will still have most of what you need for them to make the corrections.

 

[bravosfreak]

We went through this last year. As you know, there is a lot of planning involved. We are a 24x7 call center and we were able to perform the cutover without any downtime. I had Avaya in pre-cut to make sure all the cabling was ready and labeled and then when it came time to cut, we moved 1 circuit at a time and had some agents on the new switch and some agents on the old switch.

You have probably already thought about this but if not, the one piece of advice I would give is to have them install the new equipment a week or so in advance (if you have room) and then load the translations. That will give you a chance to verify the translations before going live. Also, before the cut is done, make sure all the latest patches are installed. While we did not have any downtime during the cut, we did have a two hour outtage a week after the cut because Avaya loaded patches when they installed the equipment but didn't check for critical patches the night of the cut (there was a two week period between install and cut). One of the patches they missed would have prevented the downtime.

Good Luck!

 

[seezer]

The MOST (Magneto Optical to S87XX Translation) tool is a USB-based MO drive that is compatible with the G3r's MO backup cartridges. It allows you to migrate the translations yourself. If your G3r does not have the MO drive, you'll need to send your translations to Avaya.

The URL below will take you to the doc titled Upgrading, Migrating, and Converting Media Servers and Gateways. Chapter 5 has a great deal of excellent information about migrating the G3r to an S8710.

http://tinyurl.com/9tak3

Regards,

seezer

 

[mikeydidit]

That was one of my main concerns bravosfreak, was the software. I spoke with a friend at Avaya that does most of the patches. (The Patch Queen) is her claim to fame, and she also advised me to make sure they load the latest "Superpatch" to make sure this went well.

Thanks all for your help with this. I am sure I will be back trying to do most of this before hand (Installing the Val boards, and 4 more C-lans, and the expansion interface boards.)



Mikey

 

[Midstream]

Hey Mikey,

When going through the platform migration it is normal for you to lose your Maintenance Software Permissions. You can minimize the loss of those permissions by having your paperwork done ahead of time with Avaya.

Phil

 

[mikeydidit]

I am not sure if that will be an issue here rockspop as the BP that is helping with this is the same one I have my "Maintenance assist" program through, but I will definately ask about it. Thanks.



Mikey

 

[wbp420]

You will not have to upgrade your EI boards if you are not putting IPSIs in those cabinets. This is a considerable expense as the 570Ds are quite expensive. I was on 8700s for 4 years and have been on the 8710s for 6 months. All the info above is good. Make sure Avaya gets your license file right or you will lose your MSPs. IOLan does make the serial server for your CDR, but you will still have data modules except that they are an IP interface in that environment. Transcribe all of your announcements off of the 750s as they will be gone if you lose power to that carrier/cabinet. By all means, do testing after the cut. The patches are important, make sure you have the latest one that applies after the initial install. It is also a good idea to have a data guy around if you are not responsible for that - helps with port settings. Other than the carrier replacement and any licensing issues, it will go by faster than you think. Use ASA to have all the reports that you can pull from your switch before the cut. You may need them.... Don't forget about your voicemail system. If your signaling is done TCP/IP already, then you will be ok, but all X.25 connections are not supported. Look at all your adjunct devices - they will al have to connect via IP after your cut.

 

[mikeydidit]

Thanks for your reply wbp420. I have been seeing the licensing issues come up here for the last several years on cuts such as this. I will do my best from falling into the same situation as others have. The Intuity is already on a IP connect (C-Lan) setup so I will not have to fool with that. I will have 2 ISPI boards installed in the (now) PPN cabinet after it is converted to a port carrier, that is why they are telling me that the 570B V7 is the minimum vintage.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions and help with this.



Mikey